A Change of Fate
by CrazyJulz16
Summary: One small change can alter the fates of so many. This story follows a new path and changes the lives and fortunes of the characters forever. What if Merida had been released from her prison by one of her hated suitors, she never knew that the boys had changed, and the Witch returned home early? Within we shall explore the question of 'what if,' and we shall see where it leads.
1. Chapter 1

A Change of Fate

_A.N. Well. I know that I should be working on some of my other fics that I have yet to finish, but this idea burrowed its way into my head and wouldn't get out. It probably won't be a long story, but I checked, and there weren't any other stories with this plotline that I could find. I hope you like it. It starts after Merida is locked in Queen Elinor's room by King Fergus._

_Disclaimer: I don' own Brave, an' I'm fair sure you knew tha'. (That was my way of pointing out that the dialogue is written with dialect.) Sorry for the long author's note. Now read on!_

OooOooOooOooO (With the Princess)

"Let me ou', Da! Don' hurt my mum! Le' me ou'! It's yer wife, Elinor!" The red-haired teen shouted though the window of the door. No reply and no help came. Her level of desperation grew with each second, and she knew that her da would be on his way to slay the bear he thought had killed his wife.

She attacked the door with anything and everything within reach, but it did no good. She thought of trying to shatter the windows, but she knew that the windows were too thin and she too high up to escape. Instead, she returned to shouting from the door.

Merida knew that her father was no longer in hearing distance, so she began shrieking for help from anyone who would listen. "Someone le' me out! Anyone, please! Help me!" Her Scottish brogue echoed through the halls, but it reached the ears of only a few.

"Please," the princess sobbed as she slid to the floor with her back resting on the thick wooden door. "Please."

"Princess?" Came a slightly familiar tone. "Are ya all righ'?" The voice was of medium range, had an accent similar to her own, and was difficult for Merida to place. She slowly rose to her feet, but she didn't yet face the window. "Wha's wrong?"

"My da is out there, and if I don' stop 'im, he's goin' to kill my mum. 'S enough to distress any lass, wouldn't you say?" She snapped as she wiped her nose with a sniff.

"Wha'?" The voice exclaimed. Merida slowly spun to face the small window as she began to recognize the voice. If she was correct, it had been praising her ideas and speaking of freedom not an hour before. As she finished her turn, she came face to face with the son of Lord Macintosh.

"Okay, listen. You mus' let me out, and I'll explain. Please. I need to save my mum," the girl begged.

"Why are ya locked in here in the firs' place?" The young man retorted.

"My da is off to slay the bear, but I tried to stop 'im. 'E locked me in 'ere to keep me from followin' 'im."

The boy in the blue war paint stood for a moment in deep thought before unsheathing his sword and commanding, "Stand back, lass." Merida stumbled away from the door, and Macintosh brought his blade down on the lock. The lock shattered, and he pulled the door open. "C'mon. You've got some tales to tell, and we need to hurry if we're to catch the king."

"Thank you!" She cried as she flew out of the bedroom and into the hall with the tapestry rolled up under her arm and a threaded needle plunged into it. She grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him down the stairs in her haste to reach the stables. When he got over his initial shock, the boy sped up to match step with her as they ran together through the kitchen and out into the rain.

OooOooOooOooO (With the Hunters)

King Fergus lead the way through the forest as the men followed the bear tracks left in the mud. The lords were close behind him, and their sons followed. Lord Macintosh, however, kept glancing around in confusion.

"Where is that boy?" He growled to himself. He hadn't seen his son since they had gone down into the cellars. The boy had left not long after they had arrived, and he had never returned. Once they had come up from the cellars and found and driven out the bear, he had not had time to search for his child.

Now he was engaged in the hunt for the beast, but his boy was nowhere to be found. Against all instincts, he was worried. 'What if the beast got him?' With that thought, Macintosh's heart was hardened. Whether the bear had killed his son or not, he was going to do his best to slay the animal at any cost.

OooOooOooOooO (With the Rescuers)

"We'll ride Angus, my horse," Merida instructed as the pair reached the stables. Within seconds, she had swung into the saddle and thrown her bow and quiver, which she had grabbed on the way by, over the saddle horn along with the tapestry. Macintosh mounted the horse behind her, and they were off.

"So, wha' happened?" He inquired as they rode at a breakneck pace through the woods.

"Well, you know well as I do how I didn't wan' to get married. After the failure of my firs' attempt to stop it, I went for a ride, and I stumbled upon a cottage by followin' the wisps. I bought a spell from the witch who lived there, but it didn' do wha' I wanted it to. 'Stead o' changin' my mum's mind, it changed 'er into a bear. We've been tryin' to fix it, but then Da found 'er as she went wild," Merida explained as she sewed. She was currently steering Angus with her knees, but she was considering giving Macintosh the reins so she could focus.

"Wha' do ya mean, wen' wild?"

"She's usually only a bear physically, and she's mentally 'erself. Sometimes, though, she becomes a bear all the way through. Da caught 'er one o' those times, an' he attacked 'er. Now 'e's off huntin' her, an' I've got to stop 'im. I can change 'er back if I jus' sew up this tapestry before the sun rises," she finished. As an afterthought, she added, "Do you believe me?" Suddenly she felt like she needed the boy to believe her, even though she could just shove him off the horse and keep going if she needed to.

"I don' know. It's crazy, bu' you seem to believe it. I guess I do too," he admitted. "I'll help you as best I can to save yer mum. What can I do?"

"Take the reins so I can sew," she commanded. The boy's blue-streaked arms wrapped around her as he picked up the leather straps. As he did, a blue shape appeared in front of Angus's nose, and the horse slid to a halt.

"A wisp," Macintosh muttered in awe. "I take it we follow the wisps, then," he commented as a trail of the blue spirits appeared. "Hyah!"

Angus leapt forward once more, and Merida finished the final stitches to sew up the rip. "There," she whispered as she rolled the fabric back up again. As she sat up, a thought occurred to her. "Ya know, I though' you were a self-centered fool. I don' even know yer firs' name, an' I had judged you. 'M sorry fer that. I jus'… I didn't wan' ta get married, an' I was scared. It was easier to make a joke out o' all o' you than to think about marryin' you. Now there's all this, an' yer helping me, an' I'm jus' sorry."

"It's Valan."

"Wha'?"

"My name. It's Valan. Valan Macintosh. An' it's all righ'. After the fit I threw when I missed tha' shot, I would'a thought the same. It's jus', my da has these expectations an' this personality 'e wan's me to have. I'm supposed to be perfect at everythin' an' act all full of myself, and I knew he'd be disappointed. 'M always livin' with these rules, and m' da insisted that I win yer hand. I didn' wan' to get married any more than you did; 'm not even eighteen! It was all jus' too much, an' I snapped. 'M sorry too, I guess."

"S'all righ'. I know what you mean. 'S the same way fer me; I've not been able to be a real girl since I was wee. My mum's been trainin' me to be the perfect princess fer years, an' I hate it!" Merida suddenly stopped; she had no idea what had happened. She was fighting for her mother's life, and now she was venting to this boy that she barely knew! How had this happened?

As she realized this, she looked up to see a sight that made her blood run cold. Her bow was in her hand before she could think, and she loosed an arrow with a shout of "No!"

The shot flew true, and one of the ropes being used to tie down Queen Elinor the bear was severed. It did little good, though, and the bear was captured as the pair arrived at the edge of the clearing. King Fergus dismounted and drew his sword, and the Valan felt Merida stiffen in the circle of his arms. He pulled on the reins to stop Angus as the girl leapt from the saddle. She ran to get between her father and the beast that was her mother.

"I won' let you kill her, Da. Tha's my mum, an' you can' hurt her." All eyes were on the fiery-haired princess as she squared off against her father with her bow drawn, and no one noticed the teen in the shadows riding Angus. As Merida's eyes strayed to the boy, Fergus quickly took advantage of her distraction and threw his daughter into Lord Macintosh's grip. The man trapped her with his spear, and with a nod, the king rounded on the bear once more.

As Merida struggled against the strength of his father, Valan jumped from Angus's back and drew his sword. With one swipe, he severed the spear that was holding her in place, and she leapt to her mother's defense with a sword that she snatched from an inattentive soldier. Valan then slid smoothly in to cover her back as she fought with the king.

"Son?" Lord Macintosh gasped as he came face to face with the boy. "What're you doin'?"

Just then, Fergus went flying and a growl split the air. Everyone froze, and several men dropped their weapons in shock as a giant shadow rose up next to one of the stones. Merida's eyes widened in fear as a single word left her lips. "Mor'du."

OooOooOooOooO

_A.N. So, there's the first chapter. I tried to make it interesting but explanatory, and I wanted to lay the basis for the rest of the story. Also, that ending was my sad attempt at cliffhanger. Tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

_A.N. All right. Here's the second chapter. I don't have much to say but that I hope you like it and that I made some small changes to chapter 1, so you might want to check it out._

_Disclaimer: I don' own Brave, an' I'm fair sure you knew tha'._

_Oh, and here's the last bit from the previous chapter to get you started: Everyone froze, and several men dropped their weapons in shock as a giant shadow rose up next to one of the stones. Merida's eyes widened in fear as a single word left her lips._ "_Mor'du."_

OooOooOooOooO (In the Clearing)

The demon bear lumbered forward into the light, and for a time, no one dared to move. The moment was broken by several men rushing forward with swords drawn, spears leveled, and war cries on their lips. These soldiers were knocked aside with little difficulty, and so the first charge was defeated.

The second wave consisted of Young MacGuffin and Wee Dingwall running at the bear with spears, but a single sweep of his paw sent the two boys crashing into the dirt. The lords Dingwall and MacGuffin cried out in worry for their sons, unsheathed their swords, and attacked the bear along with a few other men. The two landed a few blows in revenge for their sons' defeat, and the others made a little progress, but they were too angry to think properly. They fought recklessly, and soon enough, they were sent flying as well. Lord Macintosh, however, was still locked in place staring at his son, who still stood beside Merida.

Several others dared to try to fight the beast, those being the bravest men of each clan, but they were quickly defeated as well. Even the giant man from Clan Dingwall could not land more than a few blows on the fearsome animal. Soon, the warriors grew too afraid to attack, and a silence hung in the air.

The pause didn't last long before Fergus finally found his feet with his butchered leg and challenged the bear, but he was quickly swept aside. The beast moved to collect his prize, one that he had waited to finish for years, but an arrow sprouted from his neck, and he halted. Merida, her bowstring still quivering, glared at the animal. It turned to her, but several warriors moved to protect their princess and engaged the bear in her place. For a few seconds, it seemed that they would be able to hold the creature back, and hope filled the soldiers.

Then one of the men screamed as he was thrown into one of the outlying trees, and Mor'du let out a roar. The others backed away in fear, and the bear advanced on Merida. She fired a few shots, but the many arrows in Mor'du's hide were a testament to the futility of a bow against him. This was emphasized as the beast knocked her bow from her hands and sent her crashing into the damp earth with a grunt.

"Merida!" Fergus shouted in alarm. He tried to rise to her aid, but his ruined wooden leg prevented him, and he fell back helplessly. The girl gasped in fear, and she scuttled backwards along the ground with Mor'du stalking her. As the bear pinned her down and prepared to finish her off, she let out a terrified scream. Many of the warriors turned away so as not to watch the carnage, and Elinor strained against her bonds, trying to save her little girl from the monsters as she always had.

Valan, who until now had been standing motionless in shock, leapt forward with a cry and drove his sword into the animal's side. It did little damage against the already scarred flesh, but it got his attention. The beast rounded on the boy and rose to his full height with a roar. Valan slowly backed up with a semi-calm expression, but inside, he was petrified. Mor'du drove him backwards toward center of the circle where Elinor was tied down with swipes, lunges, and bites.

"Valan!" Merida cried as the boy ran out of space to retreat and brought his weapon up in defense. The demon bear's attention was drawn to her at the sound, and he veered back towards her with a growl. Valan was near panic, and his thoughts were racing. He was about to charge in and challenge the bear single-handedly again, but then an idea struck him. He whipped his sword in a downward arc and slashed the ropes keeping Elinor in place. She roared her thanks as she hurtled to her daughter's rescue.

The bear queen grabbed Mor'du by the scruff of the neck like a kitten, and she pulled him away from his prey with a vicious snarl. The two bears began to fight, and Valan hurried to Merida's side as he sheathed his blade. "Are you hurt?" He asked her as he dropped to his knees. She shook her head, but he could see a scratch on her arm, and she was trembling. "Yer lyin'." The boy grabbed her wrist gently and examined the scratch with worried eyes. He could see a few smaller claw marks where Mor'du had pinned her as well.

"'S nothing," she whispered. "I don' even feel it. But I've got to help my mum." And with that, she got to her feet and sprinted to where her bow was lying. Valan followed and drew his sword once more. There they stood, the heirs of the clans Dun Broch and Macintosh, ready to charge into battle.

"I'll cover yer back," Valan promised quietly. Merida nodded tightly, and in that moment, Valan could see the fear in her eyes for all those present. Her vulnerable moment was over soon enough, though, and her shoulders stiffened as she forced steel into her spine.

"And I'll cover yer retreat," she retorted with an air of solemnity. "Let's slay us a bear." The pair charged forward with a war cry and began to do battle, ready to risk their lives for the good of the kingdom.

"Valan!" Lord Macintosh bellowed in a commanding tone. He expected for the boy to fall back for reinforcements or to stop fighting all together, but he was proven wrong. His son ignored him for the first time in his life and kept fighting alongside the princess and the queen.

OooOooOooOooO (At the Castle)

Three tiny bears were running around causing havoc, and Maudie was terrified. The creatures were eating pastries, making strange faces, and rearranging furniture. Somehow, through her alarm, she was reminded of the triplet troublemakers she dealt with on a regular basis.

Maudie was not one to believe in magic; she was a sensible soul. However, magic seemed like the only logical explanation for this sudden invasion of bear cubs. Whatever the cause, though, she planned on locking herself in her room until the beasts had left. She still had that key to protect, though she wasn't sure why, and the bears would certainly get up to mischief with it. Besides, this was more than even she, the greatest nurse the clans had ever seen, could handle.

OooOooOooOooO (With the Demon Bear)

Merida fired arrow after arrow into the hide of Mor'du, and Valan slashed at the bear's flanks. Elinor continued to attack head on, and the three backed the bear up towards the loose stone that they had all noticed earlier. Valan had only seen it because he had nearly crashed into it when trying to halt Angus, but he knew that it was where they were herding the bear. It was their only hope of killing him.

Merida was running out of arrows, and her fingers had begun to ache acutely. She knew that soon she would need to take up a sword, but she wasn't sure how she was going to get to one. Her arrows were doing little good anyway, though she tried to aim for the neck and eyes of her foe, if for nothing more than to distract him. The girl was struggling not to lose hope; the demon bear did indeed have the strength of ten men, and he was nearly unbeatable.

Just then, said bear swiped heavily at Valan, and Merida heard his father cry his name again through the roaring of blood in her ears. He was knocked flat, and she rushed over to him. As he sat up with blood running from the gash in his forehead, the archer saw Lord Macintosh rushing the bear with only a broken spear for protection. Elinor tried to aid him, but he was thrown against a stone within moments and lay still. The other lords moved in front of the crumpled man and took fighting stances with naked blades and a protective air about them. Their sons stood behind the group with steely expressions. Though the clans and their leaders might fight more than was strictly necessary, they were friends, and they always stood together in the end.

All of this Merida saw out of the corner of her eye as she focused on the wounded boy beside her. Part of her mind registered that her father was trying to give orders that were being ignored in the chaos and that the sun was rising, but all of this fell behind the fear that send her heart into overdrive. Her mother was in danger and many of the men were hurt, including her savior. She returned her attention to the boy next to her who was finally sitting up.

Everything was fuzzy, but Valan still saw Elinor slam the bear repeatedly into the stone, and he heard it crack. As the towering rock started to lean, the queen dodged back out of the way, and the broken stone fell, seemingly in slow motion. There was a mighty crash, dust flew, and Mor'du was no more. The boy watched in shock as the blue spirit of a man rose up from the final resting place of Mor'du, nodded to Merida, and was transformed into a wisp. As the spirit vanished, Valan blinked in confusion. He shook his head to clear it as he sat up, and he remembered something important.

"Merida, the sunrise," he murmured to her. She jumped as though she had been struck, and then she ran to Angus to retrieve the repaired tapestry. As she rushed back to her mother, he got to his feet and stumbled over to his father and the other lords. The wild-haired and blue-streaked man was breathing, and Valan let out a sigh of relief. He moved to take his place among the other suitors surrounding his father. In a gesture of thanks, he placed a hand on Young MacGuffin's shoulder and squeezed. He nodded to Wee Dingwall as well before turning back to the scene unfolding before them.

Merida was crying, hugging her bear of a mother, and repeatedly apologizing. The sorrow in the air was palpable, and Valan couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong. The tapestry was draped over Elinor's still furry back, and the sun was drifting down the trees toward the group. They were running out of time.

OooOooOooOooO

_A.N. There's chapter 2 for you. Let me know what you thought of it, especially the fight scenes. If you have any comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to let me know._


	3. Chapter 3

_A.N. Chapter 3 is here. I hope you guys like it. I decided to add another plot instead of making it a short story, so you gotta let me know what you think of it. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: I don' own Brave, an' I'm fair sure you knew tha'._

_Here, again, is the last bit of the previous chapter. _**_The tapestry was draped over Elinor's still furry back, and the sun was drifting down the trees toward the group. They were running out of time._**

OooOooOooOooO (With Momma Bear)

The sun had already reached the tops of the rocks, and Merida was losing hope. "No, this has ta work!" She whispered. "Fate be changed; look inside; mend the bond; torn by pride," the girl reiterated to herself. "But wha' does it mean?! Why isn' it workin'?!" She growled desperately.

"'M sorry, Mum. I never mean' for this ta happen. 'S all my fault. I love you, an' I can' lose you. Ye've got to come back to me, Mum. Don' leave me here." The princess could feel tears running down her cheeks, but she couldn't bring herself to wipe them away. Instead, she buried her face in the ruff of fur on her mother's shoulder and wrapped her arms tighter around the animal.

Merida could feel the warm breath of the bear on her neck, and she felt a shiver of fear go through her. If her mother could not be saved, she would become like Mor'du. She knew that she wouldn't be able to lay a violent hand on Elinor, and she would be killed within seconds. However, that wasn't what scared her; she didn't care about her life, not now. What frightened her was that her mother would be slain, and no one but Valan would be able to stand against her father. Even the lordling would not be able to stop all of the men there from killing the bear, especially once it had killed the crown princess.

"S all my fault," the redhead repeated. "'M so sorry, an' I want you to remember tha' I love you." Just then, she felt the warmth of the sun flow up her back.

OooOooOooOooO (At the Stornoway Wickerman Festival)

"I wonder how tha' lass is doin' with tha' spell I gave her," the witch pondered as she shopped for supplies. With the princess having bought her entire inventory, the elderly woman was going to need a lot of wood to restock. "Hmm, tha' reminds me," she muttered. "I need ta fetch my fav'rit carvin' knife ta have it sharpened. I'll jus' pop back an' get it."

With a snap of her fingers, she vanished from the middle of the crowd, shocking several people into screaming. When she reappeared, she expected to see her cottage just the way she had left it. However, when she opened her eyes, she saw nothing but wreckage, ruin, and destruction. The entire hill that her cottage was built into was gone. Anger boiled up in her the likes of which she hadn't felt in hundreds of years.

"Who did this?!" She screeched furiously. With rapid, sharp, and abrupt motions, she cast a spell to show her what had transpired in the cottage before it was razed. As she watched the red-haired archer pour vial after vial into the cauldron, completely ignoring the instructions, her wrath grew. An explosion rocked her home, a white light obscured the image, and the spell ended with a flash.

"Ye'll pay fer this, Merida of Dun Broch!" The witch promised passionately. "Ye'll be sorry!"

OooOooOooOooO (In the Stone Circle)

Valan watched in horror as the irises of the bear's eyes faded from brown to black. He prepared himself to lunge forward and pull Merida out of harm's way before she could be hurt. Instead, the bear bowed its head, and the tapestry fell over it. Valan strained to see what was happening, but he could see nothing but Merida's red hair and the tapestry. After a moment, the fabric shifted, and he put his hand on his sword hilt. With shock, he saw pale arms escape from the tapestry to wrap around the archer, and the queen's hair slid away to uncover her face. "She's back," he whispered in wonderment.

"It worked!" Merida shrieked happily as she hugged her now human mother. "Yer back!" Elinor kissed her face with a giant grin, and she looked up with thanks to her daughter. The lords all approached, Lord Macintosh leaning on the others, and their sons came with them. The men were all talking at once, and the boys were looking around in awe. Fergus stumbled over on his destroyed leg to give his wife a greeting of his own, which led his daughter to get up with a grimace. "An'… yer naked," she added slowly.

As the king commanded the lords to avert their gazes, Merida strode over with her head high. "Thank you all fer yer help. We couldn't have defeated Mor'du alone." She curtsied to the lords in her ripped and dirty skirt, and they nodded in return. "And you," she turned to Valan. He paused, half expecting to be yelled at, and she threw herself at him.

Her arms wrapped around him in a tight hug, and he found her face buried in his chest. "Thank ya so much," she sighed fervently as he tentatively slid his woad-streaked arms around her as well. "I couldn'a done it without you, Valan." With that, she stepped back and nodded to the others again.

"Le's go back ta the castle an' drink ta our success!" Lord Dingwall shouted with a grin.

OooOooOooOooO (With the Wee Devils)

Maudie looked out her window as the sun rose, and she let out a string of curses. There were three small forms running around the lawn, forms that she recognized immediately. "How did they ge' ou' there? An' why are they naked? Mischievous wee devils," she growled as she strode purposefully out of the room and down the hall.

After she had gathered clothes for the three boys, she hurried out onto the great castle lawn with the intent of catching, clothing, and punishing the giggling princes. "I don' know why I took this job," she complained to herself as she ran after the triplets. "Hamish, Hubert, Harris, get back here righ' now!"

OooOooOooOooO (With the Lordlings)

Merida decided to ride alongside the lords' sons on the way back to the castle. In part, this was unavoidable, as Valan still needed a mount. Elinor was riding with Fergus, but there were no extra horses. Therefore, Valan rode on Angus as he had on the way to the battle. The four teens were clumped together, and they talked for the first time.

"What're yer names, boys?" The Princess inquired. "I don' feel righ' not knowin' 'em, especially when you all know mine."

"'M name's Ranulf, Majesty." The younger MacGuffin boy spoke slowly and carefully to be understood. Merida shook his hand with a gentle smile; he seemed like a sweet creature, and she was eager to get to know him.

"It's nice to meet you, Ranulf. 'M sorry for the welcome I gave you; all o' you, really. I wasn' much of a hostess, an' 'm sorry. I'd like ta get ta know all o' you; as friends, mind. An' wha's yer name, Dingwall?"

"My name's Ainsley, an' 'm sorry fer wha' I said earlier. Jus' because I didn'a pick ya out doesn' mean I don' like ya. I'd like ta get ta know you as well." The boy sounded much more intelligent now then he had first appeared, and Merida wondered what he was really like under his silly exterior.

"I guess we're all in the same boat," Valan commented quietly so as not to be overheard.

"Wha' do ya mean?" Ranulf asked in a similar tone.

"We're all under the control o' our parents, an' we're all bein' forced inta a betrothal ta someone we'd never met," Valan explained.

"Yer righ'," Ainsley conceded. "An' it's gotten better with the deal ya made, Princess, but it's not over. Our da's are gonna try to make us woo ya in ev'ry way possible."

"An' they'll say it's more real 'cause there's love involved," Ranulf added. He was controlling his Doric accent to the best of his ability, but the others still had to listen carefully and decipher what he meant.

"Wha' if there is no love ta be had?" Merida questioned bitterly. "Wha' if we're not old enough fer love?"

"Our da's will make us keep visitin' until one o' us woos ya. They won' le' it go, an' we all know tha'. There has to be a new king, an' everyone wan's someone dif'rent. Someone's goin' ta get hurt in the end, an' I don' know if we can get ou' o' it" Valan replied sadly. The other boys nodded in agreement with expressions of melancholy.

Merida was disheartened by this; she liked all three of the boys as _friends_. They seemed to be good souls, but she didn't want to forced to marry one of them, and she didn't want to ruin their newly formed friendship by trying to fall in love with one of them. A sad silence fell as all four of the teens fell into their own thoughts.

There was a call from up at the front of the column of warriors, and Ranulf galloped away on his Clydesdale to answer the shout. It shocked Merida that he was so good on horseback; he was a large boy after all. This reminded her that she knew so little about the suitors. She knew a little bit more about Valan because she had spent more time with him, but she was still so ignorant about them all.

Just then, the voice of Lord Dingwall echoed down the line. All three riders looked up as the order repeated in a more urgent and irritated fashion. Ainsley hurried off with a worried expression that spoke quite clearly that he was going o be yelled at. As he disappeared, Valan and Merida were left alone on Angus once more.

"There're some things I wan' ta talk ta you about," Merida stated quickly as they neared the castle. She knew she had to hurry, or she would never have the time to ask. "Will ya go ridin' with me after dinner?"

"Princess, I'd be honored."

OooOooOooOooO

_A.N. There's chapter 3 for you. I hope you'll let me know what you thought of it. I tried to establish the friendship between the four teenagers because I do think they should be friends, wherever the love may lie. We'll get into that more later, but I wanted to put down a foundation. Also, tell me how you like the new plot twist with the witch. I thought it might be interesting to pursue another 'what if,' and that came to mind. Oh, and I hope you enjoyed the forays into the boys reeking havoc; I figured that some laughs were needed. Anyway, review!_


	4. Chapter 4

_A.N. I apologize humbly for the wait. Writer's block hit me like a train, and I've been rather busy this summer. That's no excuse, I know, but it's all I've got. In any case, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Read on!_

_Disclaimer: I don' own Brave, an' I'm fair sure you knew tha'._

OooOooOooOooO (With the Witch)

"Now, wha' will I need fer this spell?" The hag mumbled to herself as she wandered around the forest. "Well, firs', I'll need a new cottage. It'll have ta be wood this time, I suppose. I don' have the time ta make another stone one. It won' be tha' hard to do, but tha' brat destroyed some of ma best magic! The spells around tha' house were priceless and irreplaceable! Hundreds o' years o' work wasted!"

Her anger renewed, the witch zapped several trees down with a vicious gesture. The newly chopped trees split themselves into boards at her instruction and stacked into piles. With a glare, she popped back to the festival to gather some other supplies.

When she arrived at the carpenter's stand, she quickly grabbed a few items. As she paid for them with some of the money she had gotten from selling the princess's necklace, she growled out a curse. The ancient woman hated wasting money, and she hated shopping from competitors, but the red-haired menace had forced her hand. This was why she needed revenge; no one could be permitted to cross her without punishment.

"This is why I wasn't a witch anymore!" She snarled. "Customers always mess things up! This is th' las' straw, and I won' have it!" With a snap, she reappeared and began sending wood flying. The spell wasn't difficult, but it cost large amounts of energy and time. As the cottage slowly took shape, she forced her anger into every fiber of the wood. This new home would not be at all receptive to visitors; she would see to that. The green wood warped and aged under the force of her fury, and as each board nailed itself into place, it settled looking as though it had been there for three hundred years.

"An' once this is done, the Princess-" the old woman made 'Princess' sound like a curse, "will pay for destroying my livelihood! Wha' should I do to her?" The witch mumbled. "I could destroy her castle, I could send the Clans back inta war, or I could jus' kill 'er." The crone paused, and a wicked grin grew on her face. "No. I know jus' what I'll do. That brat'll be sorry she ever crossed me."

A cackle left her throat with grim purpose, and others followed. Soon she was gasping for breath from the evil laughter. Just then, the last bit of thatched roof on her cottage fell into place, and the door swung open. She straightened up, turned, and walked through the open doorway. The heavy wooden door slammed closed behind her with a sound that eerily resembled a prison door locking.

OooOooOooOoooO (At the Castle)

It was, of course, a bit early in the day for everyone to be getting drunk. The young people appeared to be the only ones to realize this, however, and by a little after midday, almost all of the adults in the castle were curled up in a dark corner somewhere, groaning or sleeping it off. The servants had been permitted to join in the festivities, and they were all as incapacitated as the warriors. Elinor hadn't gotten drunk, but she was still recovering from her ordeal and was locked in her room from the inside to that effect. The princes were locked in their room from the outside as a punishment, administered by Maudie, for scaring her so. They did, of course, know how to get out, and so they were wandering the halls harassing the drunkards. Maudie herself was in a drunken stupor in an attempt to forget the horrors of the previous day, but the triplets chose to avoid her.

Thus it was that the only people out and about that afternoon were the three lordlings and Merida. None of them had felt like drinking in the gloom of their expected fates, and they had all realized the danger of doing so at such an early hour. Now they were grouped in one of the many sitting rooms of Castle Dun Broch, chatting about anything and everything that came to mind.

First, Ainsley and Ranulf wanted Merida to explain the events leading up to the final battle and how she had teamed up with Valan. She did so graciously, leaving out only a few details, like the fact that she was crying when he found her and her confessions to the boy as they rode Angus toward almost certain death. Valan interjected only a few times to add his side of things, and he too avoided certain occurrences. As the pair reached the point in the story where Merida had leapt into the clearing with her bow at the ready, they halted.

"Ya know th' rest o' th' tale," Merida concluded. "Does tha' answer yer questions?" At first, the two boys only stared at her in shock.

"I cannae believe ye stood up ta yer Da like tha'" Ainsley said at last. The awe in his voice confused Merida, but Ranulf was nodding.

"I'd never get away with tha'. My Da would skin me," he mumbled.

"Tha' reminds me," Merida replied after a moment. "What're yer families like? Ye all know so much about me; I wan' ta know more about you."

Ranulf was the first to answer. "Well, I'm the eldest, obviously." Everyone chuckled at that. "I've seven siblings: five brothers and two sisters. Castle MacGuffin is a wee bit crowded between them and my parents. Ya know my Da, o' course. My Mum is… different. She helps my Da run the castle, but she's not much of a fighter. She's blonde like us, but thin. My younger sister takes after her in looks, an' so does my third brother. I love her to death.

"Time is a luxury she doesn't have, though. With eight children, I got neglected a bit. I never minded, o' course. I jus' helped mind my siblings as best I could; I'm a fair hand with young 'uns, thanks ta her. My Da started trainin' me young; I could wield a sword at six, but I was never as good with a sword as a spear. He's disappointed in me most of the time, an' he lets me know it." The large boy concluded there, and Merida laid a comforting hand on his broad, meaty shoulder. She could see his shyness returning as his eyes met the bearskin rug on the floor.

Valan, on Ranulf's other side, patted his back. "Well, yer a better spear-fighter than any I've seen. Yer Da ought ta be proud o' ye, an' I'm sure yer Mum is, fighter or no." Ranulf smiled at the boy shyly, and he nodded in thanks.

"As fer me, I'm an only child," Valan continued. My Mum died of a wasting fever when I was wee. I don' remember her, an' I suppose tha's better, in a way. My Da misses her, but he never talks about her. I think he hardened when she died, an' tha's why he's so harsh wi' me. I've got ta be perfect at everything, or it's nae good enough. Da doesn't have any other littles ta pick up my slack, so I'm not ta leave any. I've never had the courage ta stand up ta him before yesterday. Tha's why I jumped at the chance when ya offered it, Princess. Ya were right about us choosin' our fates, an' I wanted the chance."

There were a few seconds of silence before Ainsley realized that Valan was finished. "Well, tha' leaves me, then," he began. "I don' have the most… conventional family. I'm an only child, an' I'm a constant disappointment ta my Da. He wants me ta be a great fighter, an' I'm jus'… not. My Mum's always been the one there fer me. She's tall, thin, brunette, beautiful, an' brilliant. The opposite of the Da an' me, basically. She listens ta Da an' lets him rule, but she doesn't have ta. She could be in charge if she wanted ta, like yer Mum, Merida. The only thing she does against Da's will is her axe fighting. She can wield an axe better than most o' our warriors, even Calum." The teens all stared blankly at him. "Calum is the warrior who won the tug-o'-war by himself," Ainsley remarked.

"Tha' behemoth has a name that means _dove_?" Merida asked incredulously.

"Yes," the blonde replied with a smile. "Anyway, my mum can best even 'im with an axe. She taught me, an' it's the only weapon I'm even passable with. Da won' let me use it, an' he makes me train with a sword every chance he gets. It's his revenge, I suppose, his little taunt at my mum."

"Yer good with an axe, but he won' let ya use one?" Ranulf repeated. "Tha's ridiculous!"

"Isn't it the same fer you?" Retorted Merida. "Yer better with a spear, but yer Da makes ya use a sword anyway."

"What I'm really good wi' is horses," the large boy admitted quietly. He flinched in on himself as if he expected a blow or to be laughed at.

"I noticed tha'," was all the girl said. It was simple, kind, and obviously not the response the lordling had anticipated.

Encouraged by the princess's answer, Ranulf continued. "I like workin' wi' the beasts, but my Da thinks it's beneath me. He cannae understand why I would wan' ta train horses when I could fight instead, an' he yells at me when he finds me in th' stables."

"Well, he cannae stop you righ' now," Valan pointed out. "Ya should take advantage of tha'." The blonde started, and a slow smile spread across his open face.

"Yer right! I'll go now, if ye don' mind." Everyone nodded, and Ranulf stood. "Ainsley, ye should come wi' me an' practice wi' tha' axe o' yours." Having been jolted out of his reverie by the comment, Ainsley simply nodded with a bemused expression on his face and followed the other boy out the door.

"I should start fetching servants if we're to eat dinner at all," Merida decided with a sigh. She stood, turned to Valan, curtsied, and strode out the door. 'Really, all I want is some rest,' she thought tiredly. 'But rest is something I've not had much of in the past few days. Still, a princess must carry out her duties with a smile and never complain.' The redhead knew that voice in her mind sounded suspiciously like her mum, but she couldn't bring herself to argue with it just then.

OooOooOooOooO

In the end, it had taken a few pails of cold water and a bit of yelling to rouse the kitchen staff, but once they had realized who had woken them, all complaints miraculously ceased. Some several bows and 'Yes, Princess's later, supper was cooking and Merida had escaped to her room with a promise that she was to be summoned when the meal was almost prepared. She passed her brothers on the stairs, but she hadn't the energy left to be surprised.

When she reached her room, she simply fell onto the bed with a grateful sigh and drifted off to sleep.

Her dreams were strange, and they made little sense to her. When she awoke to a pounding on her door and a lovely sunset outside her window, all she could recall was a feeling of danger and the face of Valan Macintosh. Shaking off these strange occurrences, Merida quickly changed into an unsullied gown and rushed to the stables. As she had expected, Ranulf was still there, and she informed him that dinner would be served soon. She hadn't wanted to send a servant to fetch him for fear that man would tell the boy's father of what he was doing, and for the same reason, she inquired after Ainsley's whereabouts.

Having obtained the information she sought, the Princess sent the MacGuffin boy up to the castle and set off toward the training field. As she approached the grassy arena, she could hear the grunting that signified hard work, and soon she could see her quarry. Wee Dingwall was in the middle of the field, surrounded by several dummies. He whirled his axe around him like an extension of his arm, and the willowy boy actually looked like a rather menacing foe. It was obvious that he enjoyed what he was doing, and it was just as plain that he was quite good at it. '"Passable," my left slipper,' Merida thought with a smile.

Part of her longed to grab a weapon and join him, but she knew she hadn't the time now. Making a mental note to challenge him later, the girl got his attention and walked up to the castle with him in tow. When she walked through the doors into the Great Hall, she was met with the sight of bustling servants and groaning men. 'Dinner is going to be an interesting affair,' she considered with a small smirk.

OooOooOooOooO

_A.N. Well, what did you think? Make sure to share your thoughts and your rage about the lack of updates by reviewing!_


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